Pedal assemblies are used in vehicles to control the movement of the vehicle. For example, a vehicle driver applies a force to an accelerator pedal to move the pedal from a rest position to an applied position. In the applied position, the accelerator pedal typically actuates an engine throttle, which controls the acceleration and speed of the vehicle. Often these pedal assemblies include an adjustment apparatus that allows the position of a pedal arm and/or a pedal pad to be moved with respect to the driver. This allows the pedal assembly to accommodate drivers of various heights. Thus, the adjustment apparatus allows the pedal assembly to be moved closer to the driver when the driver is short and allows the pedal assembly to be moved further away from the driver when the driver is tall. Examples, of adjustable pedal assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,460,061 and 5,632,183 all assigned to the assignee of the subject invention.
Additionally, adjustable pedal assemblies can include an electronic throttle control assembly for a drive-by-wire system. The electronic throttle control assembly is used to generate an electrical signal that corresponds to the position of the accelerator pedal. The electronic throttle control assembly replaces traditional mechanical linkages between the pedal arm and the engine throttle. One such adjustment apparatus used with an electronic throttle control is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,593 assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
When a vehicle control pedal assembly includes both an adjustment apparatus and an electronic throttle control, the pedal assembly can be complex with a great number of parts. These control pedal assemblies can be expensive, time consuming to assemble, and require a significant amount of packaging space.